Turning pain into power! Well, that’s what Paul Badosa has been doing the last few weeks on the Tour. After struggling with injury problems and lack of form, it seems as if now the Spaniard has got back her winning touch. She has already played some outstanding tennis on American soil over the last few tournaments. Now, it’s time for her to deliver in the year’s last major. Badosa will face the Swiss tennis player, Viktorija Golubic, in the R1 of the 2024 US Open. Can she get off to a winning start at her favorite tournament?

Paula Badosa vs Viktorija Golubic: Preview

Badosa is starting to look better and better as the season progresses. She has already won the title at the Citi Open this year. Apart from that, she also reached the QF of the Bad Homburg Open and SF of the Cincinnati Masters. America’s Jessica Pegula defeated her in the latter event by 2-6,6-3,3-6. Now, her fans will be hoping that she holds this momentum on the bigger stage and comes up with a better result in New York this time.

Viktorija Golubic, on the other hand, has struggled a bit this season. Her best result of this season came at the ITF USA 36A, where she reached the QF. She will be entering this match after her R32 exit from the Tennis in The Land tournament at the hands of Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia. The Brazilian defeated her 6-3,7-5 in that match. Has Golubic met Badosa before, though?

Badosa vs Golubic: Head-to-Head

Yes, both of them have met once three years ago in Montreal. Currently, Paula Badosa leads the H2H by a 1-0 margin.

• 2021 Canadian Open R64: Badosa 6-2,6-3

Prediction: Badosa to win in straight sets

Badosa is currently ranked 29th in the world, but Golubic is placed at the 73rd spot in the women’s singles ranking. Badosa’s best record at the US Open has been reaching the second round twice (2021,2022), whereas Golubic has never progressed further in the first round. If we look at their win-loss record, Badosa currently has a record of 26-15 this season, but it’s just 5-10 for Golubic.

Badosa’s aggressive baseline game style, which is mostly centered around her fiery serves and incredible groundstrokes, may come in handy in these skiddy conditions. She is also a good counter puncher and is often seen disguising her opponents with her flawless drop shots. Apart from all this, Paula Badosa loves to topple her opponents with her strong two-handed backhands, and she can also use reverse forehand to generate extreme angles. However, the most concerning factor would be her high double fault counts. So far in this season, she has hit 201 aces and committed 219 double faults.

Viktorija Golubic, on the other hand, needs to raise her level to a large extent in this match to stay in a fight right from the word go. Her versatile all-around game, along with her creativity on the court, may cause a little trouble for the Spaniard. Golubic’s specialty is her incredible one-handed backhand, but are these enough to outclass the in-form Paula Badosa? Looks very unlikely at the moment!